NZTA announces $3.4b transport investment for Auckland
Region

29 Aug 2012 12:00 am
| NZ Transport Agency

The NZ Transport Agency has announced the details of a $3.4b programme of investment in the Auckland region's transport system over the next three years.

The NZTA’s Regional Director for Auckland, Stephen Town, says the committed and recommended investment in Auckland for 2012-15 will include $1.6b for state highways, $968m for local roads and $890m for public transport. Funding for key projects to help improve transport across Auckland includes:

$1.15 billion for continued construction of the Western Ring Route motorway road of national significance, including the Waterview Connection tunnels

About $40m to continue development of the Puhoi-to-Wellsford road of national significance

$29m for investment in the Dominion Road corridor to ease congestion and improved safety for drivers, public transport, walkers and cyclists

Around $54m for the Albany Highway Corridor - to improve the North Shore arterial for all road users. The total project cost is estimated at $90m

$16m for the airport and south-west Auckland transport link - to investigate options for improved transport links, including between the CBD and airport

$28.9m recommended investment in regional road safety promotion

$3.9m for committed regional cycling and walking projects.

Mr Town said the $890m investment in public transport was made up of $802m of committed and recommended services and infrastructure together with other activities still to be developed. This would help fund the new electric trains and their depot, and the introduction of integrated ticketing on trains, buses and ferries.

The investment in Auckland is part of a $12.3 billion investment in New Zealand’s land transport system set out in the 2012-15 National Land Transport Programme (NLTP), including $9.4 billion from the National Land Transport Fund (NLTF). The NLTP is a partnership between local authorities (who invest funding from ratepayers and prioritise activities and projects for funding) and the NZTA (which develops the programme and invests NLTF funds collected from road users through vehicle registration fees and fuel taxes.

Mr Town says that over and above the $3.4b committed for investment in the region for 2012/15, additional funding will also be available through the NLTP for investment in more activities/projects in Auckland as they are developed over the course of the next three years.

'The NLTP is a dynamic programme, and while the total amount of additional investment in the region over and above the $3.4b already committed won't be known until the end of the 12/15 period, it could be significant.'

Mr Town says the 2012-15 NLTP follows the direction outlined in the Government Policy Statement on land transport funding (GPS), with a focus on creating transport solutions that will support economic growth, improve safety, provide people with a range of transport choices and deliver the best possible value for money.

'It’s a balanced package of investment across a wide range of transport activities designed to help keep Auckland moving forward.'

Mr Town says that while the 2012-15 NLTP represents a significant investment in New Zealand’s transport system, with the country facing tight economic conditions, not all proposed activities could be funded.

There is no committed or recommended investment for the City Rail Link while Auckland Transport completes route protection and property acquisitions, nor for the $180m PENLINK project – a new road connection between Whangaparaoa Peninsula and SH1.

'We’ve been working closely with Auckland Transport for several months to ensure that funding is carefully targeted to the areas and the activities where it is needed the most and where it will deliver the best outcomes for the greatest number of people in the region,' Mr Town says.

The preparation of the 2012-15 NLTP has been informed by 16 regional transport committees and Auckland Transport developing and submitting regional land transport programmes outlining activities to be prioritised for NLTP funding.

Mr Town says the NZTA will continue working closely with councils as the NLTP is implemented over the next three years.

The NZ Transport Agency works to create transport solutions for all New Zealanders – from helping new drivers earn their licences, to leading safety campaigns to investing in public transport, state highways and local roads.